The Russellville Democrat., 1887-07-06
He smiled. wearily.


 "Yes; isn't this big hole am darn ings Boys do wear out tbeir clothes so fast. You are home early from the office"
 "Yes, had an engagement at three o'clock and did not care to go back. May 1 come in and have a chat with you?'
 70, yes. if you care to-" with her quick smile, smile which her eyes be- 1 lied, and which always seemed to John made to order.n She pulled forward chair without rising, and went on with her darning again. 'I sit in here because it's cool, and I always do my sewing afternoons; in the mornings there is housework.'
 It was shabby little parlor, seldom used by the boarders, who were prin- cipally gentlemen, and spent their evenings out, if not in their own rooms. A few tawdIy decorations only en- hanced the shabbiness of the thread bare carpet, dirty walls and ancient lace curtains.
 ] Clarice?" asked John, trying to forget his own wretchednees by interesting himself in some one else.
 "Amusements. she repeated, push ing the curls of her forehead in a pug zled way 70, yes; there is a Mir. Jones; he plays the piano; and once Mir. Aikens, the the eloeution teacher, read piece, and all the boarders came in
 John smiled, eyeing the little maiden pityingly as she stitched away. She looked up suddenly and caught his eye.
 We did not always keep boarders, " she said, proudly, reading something there she did not like. ..When I was at school we were well off and had a nice house; but mamma is widow with eight children, you know, and l have to help her about the work.
 "I know said John, kindly, looking at little Clarice with so much sympa- thy that she quite warmed toward him, and continued coniidentially:
 "Once l had a beautiful time--that was a good while agoa girl l knew at school hunted me up, wrote to me and invited me to see her. It was in Phila- delphia."
 And did you goP'
 "Ah, yes, and it was a beautiful time!n Then, her face falling, but l had to come home. It was all over in three months.
 "Ah, that was hard,n sympathetic ally.
 'Yes, it was. MT. Rogers" taking up another jacket and beginning on a new hole. ''For they were rich, you know. and it was quite like old times their nice house and all--and then to come back here-the noise and the children, and clearing up the rooms it seemed worse after that. But per haps I shouldn't have minded it if 1t hadn't been for-there was something worse than all that, continued CIarice, working hard at the jacket with crimson cheeks.
 Twill you tell me about itp" asked John Rogers, very kindly, his honest gray eyes softening. 'It does one good sometimes to tell one's troubles, and 1 am so much older than you
 ClaIice looked up, quite gratified at this unexpected sympathy.
 'I will tell you, MT. Rogers. It was when was in Philadelphia that I met Halris-Harris Bell-and 1 was-so different there, at the parties I went to with Fannie, that he thought 1 was pretty, and told mo so, and said that he loved me and wanted me to be his wife. l had a pretty white dress, you know" timidly, and glancing blush ingly down at her present faded calico, "and wore flowers and-you can scarcely understand it.
 "Yes, l can understand it,o said John. noting the light in the brown eyes and the newly acquired color. Tell me the rest, Clarice.n
 And we were engaged--and l could scarcely believe it-but 1 was very happy. He was such handsome gen tleman too, and so aristocratic, and did not mind the boarders; or any thing when l thought about Harris. So at last he came here to see me; and he saw mamma and the children, the house and the boarders, and 1 can't tell you how it was, but he was differ ent He didn' tell me he was changed, but he was restless, and itworried him. and l saw he cared. l am proud, Mir Rogers, though we are poor now, and l broke it all up. 1t wasn't the love l had dreamed of. 1 had read q great many novels, and l thought life was a fairy tale, and love was beautiful l always used to think: When some one comes to love me I'll never be sad or yeXed any more; and Harris seemed to me to be all l had wished for unhl l saw the house and the boarders frctted him. For had dreamed of a love that would be out of the common. and that when l went away with my lover thought l, too, would be better, just as he wished me to be. So l told him, Mr. Rogers, it was all over, and he said perhaps we were not fitted to make each other happy And then he went away. and the work and the noise and and the boarders fretted me as they had never done before. For somehow, although l could not lo~e him as much for treating me so, the thoughts about him and the dreams about him were all gone and l missed them so.
 Poor child!'' said John, tenderly. L